The Royal Plan
by Blanket of Rain
Summary: What kind of parents would send their child off to another dimension alone to fend for herself? Why weren't they that worried? What if there was more to sending Star to earth than to keep Mewni safe or to help her master her magic? What if it was their plan all along?
1. Chapter 1

Another royal ball, another royal disaster. Much to her parents' dismay, Star Butterfly had once again scared off every royal who had come to woo her with her unruly behavior and crazy antics. This time, she had taken one of the princes out warnicorn riding and let's just say, he'll have problems sitting down for a while because of the hole in his trousers.

Queen Moon Butterfly massaged her temples in an attempt to lessen her headache. She didn't know what else to do. No lesson, no matter how strict or liberal or anywhere in between could curb her daughter's wild tendencies and the dwindling number of suitors attested to that. She knew Star didn't really mean to do it, but it was still quite troubling.

Suddenly, she felt a familiar warmth place itself over her shoulder. It was King River, trying to comfort her about the recent events. He was a wonderful husband, a bit wild and uncouth at times, but very supportive.

"It's going to be alright dear. Don't you remember when you were young? You did quite a lot of crazy things too, but you turned out wonderful." He chuckled, recalling their childhood; as she always told Star, she had done a lot of things that she wouldn't let Star do.

"I did a lot of crazy things darling, but I was never as wild as Star. It makes me worry about the future." She bit her lower lip, a bad habit. Moon knew it was wrong to doubt your own children, but entrusting the wand and the kingdom to Star, she couldn't help but have reservations.

"Well yes, but you changed the longer I knew you. I know Star will as well." River replied, taking his wife's hands in his own.

She looked at his large calloused hands, used to gripping weapons and climbing rough terrain, so much different from her own smooth ones. She could remember. They were young, she was rather proper, but had a heart for adventure deep inside. River on the other hand, was rowdy, full of energy and far from an ideal nobleman, but they became good friends. They went on adventures, thwarted evil, made messes and fixed them, fought over their differences and made up, learning something new every time. Then, as time passed, they learned more from each other and grew. They grew and grew until they grew so fond of each other, they could no longer be parted.

That was their story.

As it was the story of the Butterfly's ever since time immemorial. Great Grandmother Shy was a good example. Though she always remained on the silent side, her husband understood her well and became her voice for the kingdom and at times she was needed, he gave her the strength and confidence to speak, to lead Mewni against all odds. Her hubsand was a teacher, a scholar, not a warrior. He shared with her the stories and sights of different lands and different cultures, making her open up to the world. He thought her that there were things you had to speak about, to defend, even if no one else would. He was her true love and closest friend. Much like River was Moon's.

That was the story of the Butterfly's. They were an ancient family, always able to rule with wisdom and benevolence because of love. Because love would change them for the better.

Queen Eclipsa was the only debatable exception to this rule… Moon could only hope that Star wasn't the next.

"River…" Moon called, her voice a bit hesitant as a thought crossed her mind.

"Yes my dear?" He replied.

"Do you think it would be wrong of us to…" Moon stopped, unsure how her husband would react.

"To what dear?" River felt strangely cautious, his instincts warning him.

"To find Star's true love for her?" She finished her statement, studying her husband's face.

"W-w-what? Why pumpkin?" River's face contorted brilliantly as he tried to control his fatherly urges. He had not expected to deal with a boy in years. His grip on his throne tightened tenfold.

"River… I know this is hard for you, but just hear me out." Moon pleaded, commanded of her King.

River merely nodded, still not fully comprehending the situation.

"Whether we interfere or not… Star will find her true love, and he WILL change her for the better as much as she will him. I don't want to just drop him in front of her or anything so drastic. But maybe if we knew where he was… someday we could maybe... gently push them together." Moon suggested.

"B-but pumpkin pie, our little girl's so young! It was just like yesterday when she learned to ride her own warnicorn!" River wanted to say more, but Moon had placed a finger on his lips.

"River dear… next year she'll be getting the wand and if she can't handle it, I'm afraid we've run out of options. We've tried everything to calm her down, to teach her, even force her to see things our way…"

"Moon darling…"

"I just want what's best for Star."

"…"

"River?"

The King relaxed his tense shoulder and sighed. He loved his wife and he loved his daughter. He wanted the best for both of them and honestly speaking, he had reservations about Star getting an object of immense power as well.

"Alright…" River said in defeat. "We can use the seeking spell to find the boy."

Moon lunged towards her husband and wrapped him in her arms, making him weak. It wasn't everyday Moon would show him such affection outside their private quarters.

"Thank you River, I know you're going to love him."

"Do I have a choice? He's going to be future king of Mewni and Star's husband. I have to love him." River exclaimed, fists shaking in paternal rage, earning a tiny laugh from Moon.

* * *

"Well, that was productive…" River muttered sarcastically, crossing his arms and putting his feet up as the manticore drawn carriage began to move again.

"River now... you know that the seeking spell only shows us where the people who are important to Star's life are. It could be a friend or a crush or a temporary boyfriend or the sort. You knew this would take a few tries."

"Try nine hundred and seventeen… I'm just happy we don't have to deal with that underworld brat anymore. What was his name? Tom? Talking about my little girl as if he knew her so well! He probably has some demonic ritual planned to trap Star!" River was not happy. They had met many young men and none of them seemed a match for Star or even worth their time. Sure there were a few nice impressive young men, but for some reason, none of them seemed right.

Moon dragged her hand down her face as she listened to her husband's angry rant.

It had been a good six months. In their free time, they had been visiting dimensions that reacted to the seeking spell, pretending to be visiting to improve relations, but in truth they were waiting for a reaction from the wand. One that they only saw once before.

"Well, we're down to the last few sources and they're all in one location." A holographic map appeared from Moon's wand, showing the different dimensions and bright pink hearts were reactions lay. With a wave of her hand, the map zoomed into a certain corner of space, a galaxy swirling in a perfect spiral, the milky way, as the only intelligent life in the galaxy called it.

"We're heading there?" River asked, a bit interested because this was not a place frequented by travellers as it had diverged from the path of magic a long time ago.

"Yes. I believe the planet we're visiting is called Earth and we're going to a region called… Echo Creek. All the signals seem to be around that area."

"This is the last one… Are you ready to meet your son-in-law River?" Moon teased, knowing full well that River didn't really enjoy the thought.

"Do I have to be?" River complained, staring out the window as their carriage passed through the portal to their new destination.

* * *

As they passed through the portal, they saw a single sun shining brightly in the sky, roads covered completely in flat black rock, many rectangular shaped buildings reaching into the clouds and these colourful metal vehicles speeding by fast. They had arrived on Earth, a land alien to magic.

"Manfred, I believe the place we're heading to is that building over there!" Moon pointed out to their head butler. It was shorter than the other buildings, but wider and it seemed to be part of a complex of other structures. Made of orange bricks and with a flag proudly waving in the wind. They quickly made their way towards and building and stepped out of their carriage, despite all the curious stares they attracted.

"Echo Creek Academy? So this place is a school of sorts." River read the large letters in front of the building. He studied the building, seeing many children through the glass. Some studying, some dozing off, some chatting at the back. It seemed to be a normal school. Would they really find someone so amazing to be able to keep up with Star in such an unlikely place?

* * *

After bribing the man called the principal, who was only more than happy to allow them to do whatever they pleased, the royal couple went around the school disturbing classes. They would barge in, with their knights pointing their swords at the teacher as Moon would pass by each of the students putting the wand close enough to them, waiting for a reaction. But there was nothing.

They had gone through every class under the premise of observing Earth Education, looking carefully at every child, but the wand did not move nor change in the slightest. In the end, they decided to regroup and rethink.

* * *

"I don't understand. Earth was supposed to be the last place the boy could possibly be…" Moon was seated with River on the gymnasium bleachers, rechecking every source of a reaction in every known dimension. Her eyebrows furrowing in frustration. They had supposedly checked every child in school and according to the wand, all the remaining possible sources were in this Echo Creek Academy.

River on the other hand, was rather relieved they hadn't found Star's supposed future husband and was busy watching this sport the children were playing called dodge ball. It seemed a rather promising game. As far as he could tell, there were two opposing teams and the goal was to pelt each other with these rubber balls until one team was defeated. It was positively barbaric! He couldn't wait to tell Star about it.

"River… are you listening?" Moon's voice finally reaching his ears with that specific statement.

He hurriedly straightened his posture and turned back to his Queen with a chuckle.

"Why of course dear!" The King replied, lying through his teeth.

Moon narrowed her eyes at her husband, knowing full well that he hadn't heard a word she said, but she was far too troubled to deal with his inattention right now.

"As I was saying… this could mean that Star's partner hasn't been born yet, which is rather odd because that would make him at least 14 years younger than her. Or maybe he's in a yet unknown dimension. Or sadly… it could mean Star won't have anyone she considers the love of her life…" Moon ended her train of thought with sorrow. She had ideally hoped for Star to marry nobility, but upon seeing that didn't seem to be Star's fate, she assumed Star would find her true love elsewhere and he would be able to make her happy as well rule Mewni wisely together. But seeing as things were now, it was very heart-breaking for the Queen to think that her child would never find true love as she had.

Before tears could even begin to tease the edges of her eyes, a strong arm had already wrapped around her, bringing her comfort. The king held her tighter and pulled her closer despite her awkwardness with the gesture.

"It's going to be okay Moon. I'm sure our daughter will find happiness and fulfillment in life." His deep, gruff voice calmed her down and stilled her thoughts. "And besides, you know, maybe there's just something we missed. We've literally been through hundreds of different dimensions. It's entirely possible!"

River smiled at Moon through his beard and after looking back at him with an unreadable expression for a few moments, the edges of her mouth finally turned up into a smile. She hugged him back, awkwardly, but no less affectionately. Hugging was never one of the traits of a Butterfly.

It was then that painful cries echoed throughout the gymnasium. Down in the wooden court, two children were crying out in pain. One was dark skinned and wore cracked spectacles and the other was rather round and had bright orange hair. Moon's eyebrows furrowed slightly at the sight. The game appeared to be over, but this rather large troll looking child kept flinging ball after ball at the two helpless children.

Their pained cries made Moon wince.

"Is no one going to help them? Isn't there supposed to be some sort of teacher or official around?" Moon asked herself, scanning the area quickly, but finding no other adult aside from her, River and their knights in sight. The other children, though many they were, were too afraid to fight back or even just help. They stayed huddled at the other end of the court, merely watching as their companions cried in pain.

Moon had to put a stop to this. It was unfair, it was unsightly and it wasn't right. She raised her wand, pointing it at the child, attempting to punish the bully, just enough to dissuade him from continuing further when the gymnasium doors suddenly flung open.

Walking onto the wooden boards and catching everyone's attention was another child wearing a red hooded clothing of some sort. He approached the bully slowly, clutching his hands at his stomach as if he was in some sort of pain. The two children pinned to the ground seemed to be relieved by the arrival of this person.

Moon lowered her wand as she continued to watch the events before her and this child they had not seen in class.

"Stop it Lars." The child in the red hood demanded. It seemed to be a boy, just around Star's age most likely as his voice was just beginning to crack.

The giant troll like child turned around to stare down at the boy. "Oh yeah, who's gonna make me? You? The safe kid?" The bully chortled with laughter.

The young man seemed to take offense at this as he suddenly pulled down his hood revealing his face. Moon and River had to admit, this young man, was quite handsome despite still just being on the steps to adulthood. His skin, though tan, seemed smooth save for an alluring beauty mark right under his right eye. His hair and eyes were of a similar deep chestnut color, dark, but charming. Moon almost assumed he would say something heroic or noble to the bully, but no one could be perfect.

"For the last time! I'm not a safe kid! I'm just a misunderstood bad boy!" He yelled back at the bully, his voice clearly cracking and going a few pitches higher thanks to his annoyance.

The rest of the people in the gymnasium couldn't help but laugh a bit. The bully, the other children, the knights and even River was stifling a laugh, much to Moon's dismay. The boy just stood there, embarrassment clearly creeping up his cheeks, but refusing to run away.

"Last chance Lars. Let Ferguson and Alfonzo go and there won't be any trouble." The boy shouted out, as if he wasn't embarrassed by what just happened. Moon had to hand it to this boy, he had fortitude. But suddenly the boy gripped his abdomen again and slouched in pain.

The bully grinned with ill intent. "What's wrong Diaz? Still feeling a little poopy from that ice cream? Why don't you just go back to the nurse's office like the little girl you are."

"Ugh… I missed half of the day because of that prank you pulled Lars…" The boy apparently named Diaz forced himself to stand straight despite the pain in his bowels.

"So that's why we didn't see him, he couldn't attend class and was at this nurse's office." Moon thought to herself. She assumed from what she had observed, that the bully had somehow given the red hooded child a laxative of some sort. Effectively keeping him away for majority of the day. A crude, but common tactic, even among Royalty.

The large child began tossing the rubber ball back and forth between his hands. "Well now that you're here and too busy not crapping your pants… how about you join your friends and cry for me?"

"Just let them go Lars and everything will be cool. We won't even have to tell the teachers about this." The Diaz child calmly replied, still resorting to negotiations.

"You think I'm afraid of being told on?!" Without warning, the bully threw the rubber ball straight at the Diaz child's face. From the way he threw it, it clearly had all his weight behind it unlike the way he was pelting it before.

In less than a second, the ball was right in front of its target, the sound of impact echoing throughout the gymnasium. Moon couldn't help but stand up from her seat at this point, she had to see it better. The ball had hit nothing but the floor and the red hooded child had safely dodged to the side, moving only as minimally as needed. Even River couldn't help but grin. This was quite the show after such a stuffy day.

The bully let out what could only be described as an enraged war cry and started pelting the hooded child with all the balls he could get his hands on. At this point, River had stood up as well, excited to watch the events unfold. The hooded child dodged almost every attack gracefully and those that he couldn't he blocked or struck away with his limbs. He kept dodging, and punching or kicking the balls away, careful that it wouldn't accidentally hit anyone else. The child was skilful. He would probably rank as one of the best warriors in the universe if given proper training, but he was showing no intention of attacking at all.

This one sided game of dodge ball continued until the bully began to slow and tire from hurling balls and running around to get some more. It was at this time that the Diaz child finally rushed towards his opponent. He picked up one of the balls, tossed it in front of him and kicked it with such force that it flew away like a cannonball, rushing towards the bully's face.

The bully's face turned white as all the blood had rushed away from it.

Then in a moment it was over. The ball missed its target, only grazing the troll child's face despite him not making any effort to dodge, but it did the trick. It shocked the bully enough that the red hooded child managed to easily close the distance between them and delivered a high kick to the bully's temple, stopping only an inch or two away.

The bully had cringed and shrunk in response, but was surprised to discover that he had not been hit or knocked out cold on the floor as he was expecting. Instead he fearfully moved his eyes until they met deep dark orbs, filled with anger.

"…Get out Lars." Were the only words that were heard in that moment, breaking the silence that filled the air. And with that, the troll child ran, screaming in fear, as he hurried away in a chaotic panic.

The victor stood proudly at the center of the room. Looking to where his opponent ran off and then to his friends who only stared at him in awe. It was a proud and righteous moment for the red hooded boy. He was the noble hero of this story…

But of course, not every story is perfect.

The boy once again lurched forward, grabbing his abdomen in pain, as his face contorted for all to see. Even quicker than his opponent's exit, the young man sped out of the gymnasium only to be chased by the two friends he saved. They shouted as they attempted to follow him to the best of their abilities.

"Marco wait! The closest washroom is the other way!" Shouted the fat one.

"I have toilet paper if you need it!" Shouted the thinner dark skinned one.

As the three vacated the premises, Moon couldn't help but applaud the boy as River and the knights cheered. She didn't care if she was the only one amazed by what she saw. The young man was brave, noble, caring, loyal, strong, intelligent, an excellent tactician and had diffused the situation even without harming his opponent physically. This boy, this Marco Diaz was fit to be King and if Star had this kind of man by her side, they would surely bring prosperity to Mewni. Not to mention they would look positively splendid beside each other.

"Marco Diaz…" Moon uttered his name to herself. "He's the one. I can feel it." Moon thought or at least hoped he was. Now they just needed to make sure of it.

* * *

Upon interrogating the young man's two friends, they finally chased him down to this so called washroom with a picture of what appeared to be a stickman in front of it.

Ignoring the smell of the room that was less worse than many other things on Mewni, they opened the door to find several cubicles inside and walked until they found one locked and marked occupied. In this one, though unglamorous, possibly lay Star's true love.

River cleared his throat and knocked on the door.

"W-who's there?" The boy's voice quivered from beyond the door, clearly he was doing something private, but Moon had insisted to talk to him as soon as possible. And after all, she had preferred he not see nor remember them.

"Hello young man. My name is River and this is my wife Moon." River began stroking his beard as he talked.

"Good day to you." Moon greeted with a curtsy despite not seeing the boy.

"Is your name Marco Diaz?" River asked. "And were you the one wearing the red hood in the auditorium just now?"

The young man remained silent. Maybe he was nervous or didn't know what their intentions were. After all, it wasn't everyday adults approached you in the washroom.

"…Young man?" River knocked again after a while, getting concerned with the young man's silence.

"…Yeah that's me, Marco Ubaldo Diaz, misunderstood bad boy... Hey, if you're here about Lars, I didn't even touch him okay? I was just standing up for my friends because he was bullying them. I just scared him off because he wouldn't stop." The boy's voice was slightly defensive.

"Well, actually, we were quite impressed by what you did in there. Defending your friends and doing the right thing even when no one else would. It was very noble of you" Moon stated, finally speaking up.

"…really? Well I guess it was." They could hear him chuckle a bit from inside, at least he was relaxing around them now.

"But if you're not gonna get me in trouble, then why are you talking to me? …In here of all places?" Marco asked, getting straight to the point.

Moon and River looked at each other for a moment and then shared a nod.

"Well we have a favor to ask of you Marco." River started.

"Well if it's something I can do that doesn't really involve doing anything bad, I guess I can." Marco replied. "What is it?"

At this moment, Moon bent down a little and stretched her arm just enough so that the end of her wand went underneath the door. Moon felt the wand release a substantial amount magical energy, but she still needed to be sure. They needed to see it.

"W-whoa! What's that! What are you doing!?" Marco exclaimed, obviously panicked at having some strange object pop out while he was doing some of his private business.

"Calm down Marco." Moon ordered, while fully understanding his reaction. "Don't worry, it's just an old royal scepter. It's an old family treasure of ours and I understand this is strange all, but we just need it to confirm something."

"…What do you want me to do with it?" Marco asked after a while, squeezing his legs together to cover his privates.

"We just need you to touch it. Even a finger will do." Moon explained and to this River retorted.

"But Moon, it just needs to be near him, he doesn't need to touch it!" River said rather loudly, but Moon put her hand in front of the king, gesturing him to stop.

The monarchs shared another look into each other's eyes and that was all it took for River to get the message which was, "It's fine… I trust him."

"…this isn't some sort of prank right? Or a television show?" Marco asked, his voice cautious again. He wouldn't want some video of him on a bathroom throne to start spreading around like wildfire. I mean, he'd never be able to show his face again.

"We promise, on our honor." Moon and River said at the same time, though wondering what a television was.

A few seconds passed as the boy thought. This situation was bizarre and normally you'd probably run for the hills if something like happened. The SAFE thing to do would be to just decline and ignore them, hoping that would be the end of it. But that was it, he was sick of being the safe kid. Maybe it was time for him to try and take some risks no matter how weird the situation was. And besides, something about these two made him trust them, despite all the anxious thoughts in his head. They almost felt like family.

"Okay… I just have to touch it right?" Marco's voice was finally heard again along the sound of a spray bottle. "Hold on, just cleaning my hands with my sanitizer…"

"You have our gratitude Marco." Moon replied, pushing the wand just a bit further.

Soon they saw a slightly tanned and slightly calloused hand reach for the wand. River and Moon waited with bated breath as the boy's forefinger extended to touch the wand.

Then Moon felt it. She immediately pulled the wand back seeing the crystal begin to glow until it spread to the entire scepter. It gently rose from the Queen's grasp and flashed with a brilliant light, forcing Moon and River to squint.

As they began to adjust to the light, they saw it. The wand was no longer the diamond encrusted scepter that Moon always carried. Instead, it took the form of a short, pink, white winged wand, with a jewel encrusted star at the center and a small crown adorning the top. It was a form River and Moon saw only once before when their only daughter had been born. It was the form of Star's wand.

The couple fell silent. Still in awe at what happened. That was it. That was the irrefutable sign that this boy was destined to truly, madly and deeply love Star and she him. They shared one heart and the wand's form reflected that. They had found their future son-in-law and future King in the making.

"…Is everything okay?" Marco asked, concerned that they were now the ones who had gone silent.

River coughed. "Ehem… uhhh… yes Marco. Thank you very much. We have everything we need. We shall be leaving you now." River turned away slowly, a single tear coming out of his eye. While he had been previously enthralled with Marco, he realized this was also the young man he'd be giving his daughter to someday and he still had mixed feelings about that. No matter how amazing this young man seemed.

Moon on the other hand looked to her wand, which had now changed back in her hands. She was still at a loss for words. There were so many things she still wanted to know about this boy, but their job was done and River was obviously bothered with the events.

After all, whether they did this or not, it wouldn't have changed the fact that those two would cross dimensions to meet, befriend and finally fall for each other. All they could do now is wait and watch.

"You have our gratitude Marco Diaz. We hope to see you again soon." Moon said, before turning to go after River.

"Ummm…You're welcome! Mr. River and Mrs. Moon!" Marco shouted from inside the cubicle. That had been a strange set of events, but he took the risk and nothing bad or weird happened. Not yet anyway. Little did he know, this was just the beginning and soon his life would be split into two. Into the time before a certain magical princess from another dimension came into his life and the time he would spend the rest of his life with her.

* * *

Marco and his Star were seated at the smaller dining table beside the flower gardens of Mewni Castle. They were now both 18 years old, legally able to marry in both worlds, but their maturity didn't help the shock they got from the story that was just told.

The future king and queen of Mewni just sat across the table from both their parents with mouths agape and eyes widened as far as they would go.

"More tea Angie?" Moon offered Mrs. Diaz, completely ignoring the two dumfounded teens in front of them.

"Oh yes please Moon. Next time, you and River should come over to our house. We have lots of things we want you to try." Angie offered back.

"Si! We can have beers, a barbeque and nachos!" Rafael shouted.

"Anything with nachos sounds great! But what's a barbeque?" River asked, salivating slightly at the thought of nachos, which he had become slightly addicted to.

The adults continued talking without a care in the world until their children finally recovered enough from the shock.

"Wait wait wait! Dad! Mom!" Star shouted, her voice breaking the peaceful atmosphere. "You mean you always knew! And you never told me!"

"But sweetheart, how'd you think you would react if we told you we were sending you to earth to get to know your future husband?" River asked, raising one of his eyebrows at Star.

"Get out of town!" Was all Marco could shout with his brain still not comprehending the entirety of the situation, but Star, merely pushed him comfortably back in his seat so he could relax even if his eyes were still glazed over.

"Well, duh, I would've gone to the farthest dimension possible." Star finally replied.

"That is so you Star." Angie gave a tiny chuckle as she sipped her tea again.

"Well, even if you did Star… you'd probably end up on earth or Marco would somehow get sucked through a wormhole and meet you. That's just how it works Star. No need to feel so bothered about it." Moon added, also sipping her tea calmly.

Star however did not like this reply and crossed her arms with a pout. She despised being controlled just as much as she liked Marco's nachos, which was a lot.

"Wait, how much of this was planned?" Marco asked, his brain finally functioning again. "I mean you sent Star to Echo Creek and you let her live with us..."

Their parents shared a few meaningful glances at each other before replying.

"Well... if we're going to be honest, sending Star to earth was really the best choice for her safety and training, but sending her to Echo Creek was because we knew you were living there." River replied for all of them. "But we didn't arrange to have you live together, that was purely by chance. We would've been okay with any foster family, but it just so happened things turned out for the best!"

River shouted as he stood on his chair and put one foot on the table while smashing beer mugs with Mr. Diaz, who now looked like he had something to say.

"And after they found out Star was going to start living with us, they came to meet your mother and me in secret." Rafael Diaz explained, wearing the smile that was almost always plastered on his face. "Then we talked about your marriage, how things would work out for both families and we were just glad our little Estrella would really become our daughter someday". A few happy tears escaped from Rafael's eyes.

Marco groaned and sunk back into his chair. While he wasn't as annoyed as Star, the fact that his parents had been in on this plan to get him and Star together was still a lot to take. I mean, how much of this was due to planning and interfering. Well, he and Star both had their respective relationships before finally ending up together, so there probably wasn't much more involved right?

Moon smiled at how Marco reacted, almost as if she could read his thoughts.

"Oh come on Marco, you're a smart lad." Moon stated with a bit of humor in her voice. "You should've had your suspicions if not figured it out. I mean, why would a royal family send their only child without as much as a knight to fend for herself in a dimension she doesn't know? Why would we trust to leave her with you? I'm sure you must've noticed that your parents allowed you and Star to have a level of freedom normal parents wouldn't give."

Marco scratched the back of his head as he blushed, knowing what they were referring too. However Star just began growling under her breath.

Star was not taking this well and Marco knew it. She was a rebel princess and she did things her way.

Her chair clattered noisily as she suddenly jumped up with eyes beaming. She had a brilliant idea.

"Marco! Marco! I know what to do!" She screamed with delight, grabbing him by the collar and shaking him.

He rolled his eyes, but kept his amused smile on. His fiancé was amusing no matter what.

"No Star. We're not breaking up just so you can show destiny who's boss." Marco replied, knowing how her mind worked.

"But Marcooooo… I have to show destiny who's boss!" She whined pouting once again, causing everyone to chuckle.

"Don't you two worry so much about it." Angie chimed in happily. "Aside from letting you and Star do pretty much anything, teasing you and keeping note of your progress, we didn't interfere with your love lives at all. Growing to love each other like you did was your choice."

The two teens on the brink of adulthood glowed red at those words. Yes, they did love each other much more than they ever thought love could possibly be, but it didn't change how embarrassing it was to hear it from their parents.

Star slowly lifted her eyes from her parents and looked at the man sitting beside her. He had grown from being a boy on the steps of adulthood to a handsome, compassionate man. True, while their parents had basically arranged for them to meet, they still became best friends, grew up and finally found true love in each other on their own. Besides, it was kind of romantic to think they were always each other's missing half. The blood moon may have bound their souls together, but God had already meant for them to become one even before that.

A content smile finally appeared on the princess' face, despite the idea of breaking up temporarily still swimming in her brain.

"I guess you're right." Said Star, realizing another voice had said it with her.

"Not again." The future king and queen voiced their annoyance simultaneously.

"Seriously stop that!" It happened once more.

"Ugh…" They groaned, putting their hands to their faces. But as they caught each other's eye through the spaces in their fingers, they couldn't help but laugh and laugh. And their parents? They couldn't help but smile at the lovely pair.

Destiny or not, they loved each other for all they were and no force nor magic no matter how powerful would ever keep them apart.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, was honestly not planning to make a second and third chapter… but with the recent episodes of SVTFOE, I just felt I had to do something to cheer myself and everybody, especially Starco shippers up. So without further ado, here is chapter two.

 **The Royal Plan – Chapter 2**

It had been a long day of listening to the citizen's complaints, concerns and pleadings. So it was quite understandable that King River Johansen Butterfly was a bit wound up. Seriously, there were even some people who would come to ask what they should wear or what they should cook for dinner. Such a ludicrous waste of time in the King's opinion. Maybe that Diaz boy's suggestion of having public education to make the people more self-sufficient or at least some kind of triage, to at least filter the truly important concerns wasn't such a bad idea after all.

But before he could even think about bringing up the idea with Moon, he caught himself. It was THAT boy's idea after all and River wouldn't have any of it. Not as long as he held breathe.

"He may be destined to be future king of Mewni, but I swear… As long as I can still wrestle a Rumetian Deathfrog to the ground he will have no say in Royal matters! This River Butterfly swears!" The bearded king yelled into the castle halls, causing his voice to echo everywhere.

This earned the attention of every person in the castle, but they were all used to the king's rants by now.

River was a king, a warrior, a protector, but he was also a father. And like every father with a daughter, he was unbelievably protective of his baby girl to the point that it could be considered unhealthy, worthy of mental assessment even. And unfortunately, the current target of his over-protective nature was a certain earth lad named Marco Diaz, who was destined to become Star's true love.

Overall, he had met the boy thrice. The first instance was a year ago, when they had discovered him after many months of searching for Star's true love. He and Moon had travelled through many dimensions, waiting to see the royal sceptre transform into their daughters wand, confirming that this was the boy Star shares her heart with. While being impressed with the lad initially for his raw battle talent, confirming he was his little girl's future husband made his impression of the lad turn 180 degrees.

Without Moon's interference, he would be like a raging bull to a cloth billowing in the breeze.

The second time, was when Moon kicked him out of the castle after an argument about his recent uncouth behavior with his friends at a party. Being too proud to apologize to his wife, he instead decided to visit his daughter and stay over with her. Of course, he met Marco. The boy lived with his little girl for crying out loud. It was something he wasn't very comfortable with, but seeing as he was the host of the house, River let it pass. Although, he couldn't bring himself to interact with the boy normally, so he ignored him for the entire stay. Never speaking, addressing nor even acknowledging his presence even once. Fortunately, it seemed that the boy's relationship with his daughter was completely platonic for now, but knowing their destiny, River couldn't be too cautious. He had to keep a close eye on them. For all he knew they could secretly be dating already.

The third time he had met the lad was after a disaster concerning both him and his daughter. The two had fought an old enemy of their family and had miraculously survived the encounter with the cold blooded monster. However, there was a catch. Star had sacrificed her wand for the safety of the boy. While he should've been more concerned with other matters such as confirming the destruction of Toffee or locating the wand's other half, one other thought ruled the king's mind.

It was the fact that his daughter, without a second thought, had sacrificed the royal wand, an object of immense power, which in the wrong hands could potentially throw the entire universe into chaos and allow evil to win. And for what? A simple earth boy? It didn't help that he was undeniably charming and that little beauty spot beneath his right eye only made matters worse. Star giving up the wand to save him only showed how much she thought of him. Boyfriend or not, he meant more than the entire universe to her.

It was that exact thought that had been plaguing River for weeks now.

"They've only known each other for a few months! How is it even possible to value him that much already!" River thought to himself, slightly peeved. "And if they did this behind all our backs, what else could they have been doing all this time!"

The King's anxious and panicked imagination raced wildly. He didn't have any proof, but this boy was dangerous. It didn't matter how much his daughter loved him. King River Butterfly was her father and he would protect her at all costs.

But now was not the time. Now was one of the moments the King valued dearly of every week. It was the time her daughter called home to him and Moon, regaling them with her stories of her day. It put him at ease to see her well and happy. Not to mention, without that Diaz boy by her side…

So upon reaching the giant doors to the King and Queen's quarters, River hurriedly ran to his chair, beside Moon, who had been waiting for his arrival for quite a while now.

"River, would it kill you to be a little more punctual?" Moon complained, her face still stoic.

"Oh relax dear. You know I wouldn't miss talking with our little girl for anything." He replied, having a very eager smile on his face as he sat down. He motioned the servants to bring the mirror in front of them and upon putting it down, they bowed to leave the room.

"Now River…" Moon cautioned him, knowing her husband quite well.

"Yes, yes! No mentioning of the boy and relationships or throwing him down into a pit of rabid beasts or the like!" River replied, knowing his wife's usual concerns. For goodness' sake, he was king. He had an enormous amount of self-control. Why just yesterday…

"Hey Mom! Hey Dad!" Greeted a cheery voice, making River literally jump up on his seat and Moon drag her palm across her face.

"There's my baby girl! So beautiful! So strong! Too much for any man!" River gave a hearty laugh.

The image of his daughter put her hands on her hips and pouted.

"Dad! I told you not to call me that!" Star complained annoyed.

"Don't mind your father dear." Moon commented. "How are you Star? Is everything okay? How's school?"

"I'm good! I'm peachy!" Star replied with a smile. "You know, going around town, eating nachos, hanging out with friends. Life's good!"

"You didn't mention school Star…" Moon mentioned immediately.

"Oh yeah… well, Marco's helping me extra credit in Math and Science cuz I need it…" Star commented, rolling her eyes.

At the mention of his name, River's grip on his chair immediately tightened and his smile became strained.

"Honestly, why are put in a single room, to listen to one boring teacher all day. It's such a waste of time! It melts my brain!" Star complained, grabbing her head like it was about to explode.

"Now Star, you know math and science are important, even in a land of magic. Without those, you wouldn't have that television or that cellular phone you're always carrying about." Moon replied. "And if you're thinking about bringing some of those things back to Mewni, you'll have to understand how they work."

"Or we can just bring Marco to Mewni and have him do all the thinking…" Star suggested, under her breathe, with a pout.

That was it. River had reached his limit for today.

"Speaking of Marco…" River started, earning a quick glare from Moon, which he ignored. This was worth the argument that would come after. "How are you and the boy?"

River could've sworn he saw his daughter's eyes light up at that moment.

"Oh we're really good! Just a while ago, we went to this really nice restaurant by the beach. The wings there were sooooo good!" Star began to salivate at the thought of the food. "And then, we played some games at these booths! Marco won me a panda! I'm not sure what it is, but it's super cute!" She pushed the giant black and white stuffed animal into the mirror for her parents to see.

"O-oh… that's great dear. Were you with your other friends?" River asked, slightly nervous.

"Oh yeah, they were around… we kind split up after eating though." Star replied, putting the panda down beside her, but never letting go of its arm.

"Quite the responsible young man isn't he?" Moon finally commented, hoping to steer the conversation into better waters..

"Yeah, but he can be too much you know." Star, suddenly grabbed the giant plushy and held it in a death grip. "Like just when we got home, he bugged me about packing all this stuff on his stupid list for our camping trip tomorrow."

At the mention of camping, River once again tightened his grip on his seat.

"C-camping? You're going camping tomorrow?" River asked, his voice rising ever so slightly.

"Ehhhh… yeah?" Star managed to answer back, visibly worried about her father's change in demeanour.

River's mind began to race again. Camping! For heaven's sake! They were going camping! Camping was his thing. He had taught Star everything from surviving without food to stalking an orintian tar beast. It was one of their special father-daughter bonding activities. He would rather die than let this lanky earth boy take that away from him. Death… yes there would be death!

"Star! You got those things ready for tomorrow?" A young man's voice called into the room.

The monarchs couldn't see him, but by the way their daughter turned her head, he was likely somewhere in the room.

"Yeah Marco. I got all the stuff on your little list. So just chill safe kid!" She shouted jokingly.

"How many times do I have to say I'm not a safe kid! I'm a misunderstood bad boy!" Marco shouted, before shutting the door rather loudly.

"Ahhhh, classic Marco!" Star giggled while toying with her stuffed bear. She didn't notice that River was biting his bottom lip quite furiously, but Moon had and she hurriedly approached the mirror, hiding the Mewnian king from view.

"W-well, I suppose if you're going camping you better sleep earlier dear." Moon commented immediately, giving the warmest smile she could muster, knowing her husband was now a ticking timebomb.

"Anyway, sleep tight dear! We love you very much! Enjoy your trip tomorrow!" Moon said hurriedly, shutting the mirror down just in time before her husband released a blood curdling war cry and ripped off his clothing.

Extra precautions would have to be taken tomorrow to ensure Marco Diaz' safety from his father-in-law.

* * *

"Unhand me! Unhand me I say!" King River Butterfly cried out as he struggled against three of his best knights, who here trying to pin him down. Moon had personally made sure that every pair of dimensional scissors in the castle were on her person. So if River made any attempt to disrupt her daughter's camping trip, he had to get through his wife first.

"Now River… we've talked about this. We're not going to interfere with their lives. Think about how Star would feel if she found out?" Moon commented, sitting on her throne with three pairs of scissors on her lap.

"Poppycock! I don't approve of the lad! He's just going to be a bad influence on Star! I know it!" The king screamed.

"River, if anything, Star's become more responsible since meeting him. You know you're going to have to like him sooner or later. If you just gave him a chance, you'd go back to being impressed with him again." Moon replied.

"That was just a moment of weakness! I never liked the boy and his stupid karate!" River struggled against his knights, but alas, he was overpowered. Was there nothing he could do? His little girl was being taken away from him bit by bit and he was powerless. The very thought could bring him to his knees.

A single tear rolled down his cheeks, making the Queen gasp. River was an emotional man, but he rarely ever shed true tears.

"River…" Moon said his name almost apologetically, staring into his wide cerulean eyes.

"I just… I just don't want to lose my little girl Moon. Camping has always our father-daughter activity… And now, she doing it with that boy I have to give her away to someday." More tears rolled down the proud king's face, touching the Queen's heart.

"I know River… But she'll always be our little girl no matter how old she gets. And I'm sure no one can ever take your place in her heart. In camping or anything…" Moon's eyes began to fill with tears at the edges as well.

She motioned for the knights to release their grips on the king, allowing him to stand.

Moon wrapped her arms around her king endearingly.

"I miss her too, but she'll always love us in a special way and not even her husband to be can change that."

"I know…" River replied, returning the hug tightly.

For a few moments, Moon forgot that there were others in the room and enjoyed the intimacy and vulnerability with her husband. It wasn't every day they could do this.

Suddenly, Moon felt her feet leave the ground as she was lifted into the air and thrown into the group of knights. River had tossed her like a ball the moment her guard was down.

"But no one teaches my little girl how to camp but me!" River exclaimed, victoriously holding one of the dimensional scissors in his hands and cutting open a portal to earth.

"River!" Moon shouted, extremely cross and facing her palm to him, ready to blast him with magic.

"See you at dinner dear!" River cried as he jumped into the portal with a magical fireball trailing after him, burning all but his undergarments.

The Queen could only sigh. For a moment, she considered following her king to earth and prevent him from wreaking havoc, but she decided to let it be. There had already been too much drama this morning and she would rather have some peace and quiet for a while.

Besides, Marco would have to deal with his over-protective father-in-law sooner or later. Why not now?

* * *

Thanks to Moon's interference, the King was wearing almost nothing as he fell through the portal with an unfamiliar blue sky greeting him. He was on earth, amidst what seemed to be an expansive forest and somewhere here was her little girl, in the hands of that devious, but charming little earth boy.

"Don't worry Star! Daddy's coming to save you!" He shouted, ignoring the pain from the magical flames still surrounding him.

Meanwhile, down on the earth below…

"So… it's just the two of us then?" Star asked, her tone shaking nervously for a moment.

"Yeah is that okay?" Marco asked back, just to make sure.

As if to answer his question for her daughter, the King of Mewni came crashing down in a ball of flame, full of parental rage, ready to get in the way of whatever Marco had planned.

His enraged battle cry roared throughout the forest like a wild beast going on a rampage.

A few moments later, in the middle of a clear blue lake.

"Dad! It's always great to see you… but what are you doing here?" Star asked, sounding a bit awkward and slightly disappointed for some reason.

After doing a few more sit ups, River finally pulled himself back up to answer his daughter.

"What? I can't go camping with my own daughter? I taught you how to camp!" River exclaimed proudly, making sure Marco heard it.

"Yeah!" Star replied immediately. "And now Marco's showing me how to go camping here on Earth!"

That statement did not sit well with the King. What could this measly earth boy know about camping?

"Oh really…" River replied with an uninterested tone. "Is he showing you how to stalk an Orintian tar beast? With no food, no sleep and no clothes!" The King shouted, feeling strangely threatened by the measly earth boy.

"No dad. Nature's really nice here!" Star exclaimed, showing off her arm full of mosquito bites. "Look what it gave me! Love bites…" The princess lovingly looked at the little bumps on her arm before turning back to her best friend.

"Hey Marco, show dad how to earth fish!" She asked of him.

"Yeah, sure." The Latino boy replied, handing the old king a fishing rod.

Strangely, the king felt amazed by this object in his hands.

"Whoa…. So how do I-" The king asked as his line dropped.

"You're already doing it!" Marco explained as he dropped his line as well, waiting patiently in peace.

"Now we just sit and wait." Marco instructed, relaxing into the boat.

This made the Mewman King's face contort, revealing his displeasure with the idea.

"You wait for the fish to come to you?" He gave Marco a disapproving look. He didn't need to hear another word from this silly earth boy. He knew nothing of camping. Nature had to be beaten and beaten mercilessly into submission. It wasn't something to just enjoy. So with that thought in mind, River had jumped into the lake to show this Earth boy how real men fish and how unworthy he was of being by Star's side.

River had grabbed the largest rock he could find, tossed it into the lake to rattle any marine life and began hunting for fish. Filled with paternal pride and pure hunting instinct, the king grabbed and attacked the first moving object his spotted. Unfortunately, this object was his own foot.

* * *

A few minutes later, after Star forcibly patched her dad up just like Marco did for her so often, the King, his daughter and his future son-in-law began to walk into the woods. It seemed the earth boy had plans to show them something spectacular. Although River doubted his words, he could not just leave Star alone with this specific boy.

"BORING!" Was all the king could say when Marco began to describe this Old Faithful or whatever it was he was planning to see. He could not believe the boy thought this kind of thing could entertain a princess like Star.

"Why are we walking so slowly?!" River demanded to know.

"Well… I was trying to take it easy because of what you did to your foot." Marco replied kindly, gesturing to his foot, which looked like it was in danger of being severely infected.

"What? I don't even feel it!" River exclaimed. Though in all honesty it was quite painful, especially with all the rocks and dirt getting into the wounds. But no. He could not show weakness. He would not accept compassion from this weak little human. He had to be a good example for Star on what kind of man she deserved.

"I don't even need feet!" He shouted proudly as he jumped and turned mid-air to walk with his hands. "Can you do this? Can you do this? I don't think you can!" River poked Marco with his able foot, mocking the boy. Though he didn't seem affected at all.

"Wanna piggy back ride honey?" River asked, hoping to further put the earth boy in his shadow.

"Awwww dad… No!" Star replied, slightly embarrassed.

Her tone sullied the King's mood. His little girl no longer wanted piggy back rides. She used to love those. What changed?

"Since when are you too cool for piggy back rides?" The King asked, concerned about the change in his daughter.

"Well, I'm not too cool for piggy back rides." Marco replied with a smile, ready to get on the king's… legs I suppose.

River shot him a cold look and narrowed his eyes at the young man. "This earth boy is mocking me." River thought. "He's trying to show Star I'm an old useless man! Well I'll show him who's useless!"

The king ended his internal monologue to reply to the Earth boy. "That would be weird Marco…" River replied coldly, before beginning to rush off with his hands. "Race you to the water thing!" He cried from a distance.

River was up to his neck with this boy. He could take his flimsy knowledge of camping and even trying to nurse his foot, but trying to make him look bad in front of Star, his own daughter! True love or not, this would not stand! He had to show Star what a real man looked like and he had to do it soon!

Fortunately, he had just spied a large avian creature. Big enough to take all of them there on wing, if it was tamed. He would show the Marco boy a thing or two about camping and being a real man! The king quickly climbed up the tree where it had landed and carefully jumped into its nest.

There it stood, proudly, waiting for a worthy adversary and so the King took its challenge, looking it in the eye with the fiercest glare he could muster.

It was that moment that Star and the earth boy had landed behind him.

"Hey dad… everything alright?" Star asked cautiously, knowing that something was bothering her father.

"Shhhh… staring contest" Were all the words they heard from the king's mouth.

Marco took one good look at the bird and knew this was bound to be trouble.

"Whoa… that's a bald eagle!" He exclaimed, visibly worried. "We're breaking a whole bunch of laws here!"

"He started it!" The king claimed, referring to how the creature had stared him down the moment he came into the nest.

The two teens shared a worried look.

"Marco's right dad… let's go see Old Youthful." The princess suggested.

"Don't worry darling." River replied, determined more than ever to show his worth. "Once I break his spirit with my eyes, he'll fly us there!"

River glared at the creature even more intensely if that was possible. He was resorting to distracting the creature with random words. This battle was taking its toll on him.

"This guy's unbelievable." River said to himself. "You can't let him beat you in front of your own daughter. She looks up to you!"

"Does she though?" A familiar voice asked.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" River demanded to know.

"Did you notice? She's pretty much over your piggy back rides… she used to love those!" Replied the voice coming from the king's lips. "And she went camping without you! That Marco kid's probably her boyfriend!"

"What!? My little girl isn't dating yet!" River replied angrily.

"Whatever! Keep lying to yourself old man!" The rough voice answered back.

"Old!" River exclaimed, more furious than he had already been. "Who are you calling old?!"

But before the nameless voice could answer, the blaring of a siren, distracted the king from his epic battle with the forces in his mind. His staring contest was over and he could not win over the bird, Marco or that strange voice he heard earlier. He had failed his daughter…

* * *

Apparently, the sounds he had heard earlier was the local authorities and they claimed that the creature was some sort of sacred bird and they were not supposed to be disturbing it. Fair enough, River thought to himself. He was in a foreign land and even a king must respect the culture of others. So with some customary bribing and some mistaken taunting, the group was once again on its way to see Old Youthful.

Except, thanks to the King of Mewni, things weren't going according to plan again.

River had put the map into his mouth, forcing it down his throat the moment Marco mentioned he needed it.

"I was hungry!" He claimed. "Everything is food when you're struggling to survive!" The king stated, knowingly.

"Except we're not on Mewni…" Star replied, her face showing disappointment and annoyance.

"Oh right… sorry…" River looked to the side, feeling as if he didn't do anything wrong.

Marco sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm staying positive about this!" He declared. "One of those trails is the right one. Maybe we'll get lucky!"

But the young man couldn't be more wrong. They had taken a route that had placed them farther from the geyser than they originally were. The young man could only shout into the sky and crumble to the ground.

For once, River felt rather sorry for the Diaz boy.

"You know what… I think this may be my fault." The king admitted. "You kids wait right here while I try to score us a ride."

With that, the warrior king ran into the forest, letting his sense lead him. He could smell a beast nearby and if he was lucky, it would be large enough to carry all of them. The trail led him to a cave. He could see the beast's eyes as it came out of the cave roaring and towering over him. This magnificent beast would indeed be their ride.

River punched the creature on its nose and quickly jumped on its back, riding it like a bronco in a rodeo. It was wild and strong, but nothing would stop him from showing his daughter how a real man did things. So with a lot of pulling and biting, he led the creature back to the teenagers, grabbing them and hoisting them up on the beast as it charged angrily through the forest.

But once again, the blaring of sirens had foiled the king's plan, dragging them back to the ranger's office.

Marco could only sigh and put his head between his hands in despair. Like the ranger said, it was a ten mile hike and they'd never make it in time now.

"I'm sorry Marco…" the princess put a reassuring hand on her best friend's shoulders. She knew this must've meant a lot to him because he had kept pushing for it all day.

The king however could not see what the big deal was. He had lost everything, even his crown today and did anyone see him getting frustrated? It was just some weird water thing. They could see much more wondrous things in other dimensions.

"Oh come on… what's the big deal?" River asked haughtily.

"Dad!" Star exclaimed, angry and disappointed. "What is up with you?!"

"Is this about the bear?" He asked, not knowing what she was referring to.

"No dad! You've been acting really weird all day!" Star shouted, being more frustrated with her father than she had ever been in her life. "And now Marco's plans are basically ruined. He really wanted to see Old Youthful." She could only look at her best friend who was in the middle of looking at the floor blankly.

"No Star…" Marco replied, shocking both the King and the Princess.

"What? If he didn't want to see it, why was he making such a big deal about it and pushing so hard?" River thought to himself. He could not, for the life of him understand the boy's thought process.

"I've seen it, like ten times." Marco explained, looking straight in the golden haired princess' eyes. "I wanted YOU to see it."

Upon hearing those wordst, River began to feel sorry for his actions. Maybe… maybe he was wrong about the boy.

"You've shown me all kinds of amazing stuff I never knew existed." Marco claimed, his sincerity pouring out freely. "I just wanted to pay you back, show you something amazing here on earth."

"Marco…" Was all River could say, with his eyes ready to burst into tears.

He knew it now. He was an old misguided fool. He had misjudged this boy, no this young man completely. All this time, he had been acting out of care and devotion to his daughter. All this time, his concern was not his own enjoyment, but hers. This whole trip, was planned for her sake. River could ask for nothing more. This lad, this young man was more a man today than he was. River Johansen Butterfly was both ashamed and proud. Ashamed to have been so blind not to see this young man for who he was and proud to one day be able to call Marco Ubaldo Diaz his son and someday in the future, the King of Mewni.

He promised himself right there and then that from now on, he would wholeheartedly support their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend as long as he held breath.

* * *

Hours later, after he had used every last ounce of his strength and stamina to carry them to Old Youthful and spent a few minutes back in the Diaz's home, enjoying the company of his future in-laws, King River Butterfly finally made his way back to Mewni. Somehow he was fully dressed again and thanks to the rejuvenating powers of the geyser, feeling younger than ever, despite his skin being very sensitive to the touch.

He carefully made his way through the castle, trying not to alert anyone. He had promised Moon he'd be back by dinner, but the company and the food the Diaz's provided was too wonderful to pass up. Very soon, he would have to send the chef's to learn their recipes, but that was for another day. Right now, he had to sneak back into the Royal quarters and hope that Moon was already asleep.

He carefully opened the door, spying Moon's silver hair laying on top of pillows. He was in the clear. He rushed back into the room, shutting the door quietly behind him.

"Oh thank God she's asleep." River muttered to himself.

"Thank God who's asleep River?" A stern voiced asked from behind him, making the hairs on his neck stand up.

All he could do was turn around slowly and back away. There was his wife, Moon the Undaunted, glaring daggers at him.

"M-moon darling! Why are you up so late?" He asked, backing his way onto the bed just to find that the figure laying on it was no more than pillows and a wig.

"Oh nothing much. I was just waiting for my dear husband to join me at dinner. But he never came. Do you by any chance know what he's been doing all this time?" Moon asked, standing like a proud tower in the night.

River gulped. He could feel his mouth dry. How he wished he had some of that beer Rafael had given him right now.

"M-moon darling! I'm sorry about dinner! But I was just with the Diaz's and then one thing led to another. So I ended up enjoying dinner with them!" River explained quickly, wishing to extinguish his wife's wrath in any way he could.

Moon only stared at him for a few moments, her expression changing to wonder ever so slightly. She looked to their balcony where the moon of Mewni hung in the sky. River's choice of words was curious and she knew her husband quite well. Given what he thought of Marco, Moon couldn't picture her husband enjoying a dinner with them, and at their own home for goodness sake.

Something MUST have happened. Her curiosity had gotten the better of her.

So instead of getting angry at River for making her wait at the dinner table, she sat down beside him and motioned him to rest easy.

"So, what happened today, after you escaped from the castle?" Moon asked, her voice calm and easy.

"W-well… I may have tried to get in the way of Star and Marco's camping trip." River admitted, making Moon sigh. She expected as much.

"What did you do?" She asked, in a similar tone to what she used with Star.

"Well… it was a number of things really... First there was injuring my own leg fishing, then having a staring contest with a sacred bird, getting caught by the local authorities, eating Marco's map, getting us lost, hitching a ride on a bear, getting caught again and finally getting blasted by a magical geyser which made me look young again!" River smiled and beamed, showing his wrinkleless face to his wife.

She pinched the bridge of her nose and sighed. "You used your crown to bribe them didn't you?" She had noted the absence of his crown since he came in.

River could only laugh nervously in reply.

"So…" Moon continued. "How did it get to you having dinner at Rafael's and Angie's? I thought you'd go straight home after getting in the way of their camping trip."

It was River's turn to sigh and he did so deeply.

"Well my dear… I think I may have misjudged Marco." River answered, making his wife blink her eyes at him for a few times. River, in all this time, had rarely ever referred to Marco by his name. It was always that boy or earth boy or Diaz child. Certainly, this wasn't a situation he would properly address the boy.

"River?" Moon asked, curious and slightly worried at his sudden change in heart.

"Let me finish Moon… I misjudged him completely. I thought that he was a weak, good-for-nothing lad and I tried all day to prove that, but I was completely wrong." The King explained, looking his wife in the eye.

"He's patient, kind, strong in his own way and most of all... he cares so deeply about Star. He may not be a full-fledged warrior or of royal status, but he gives his all with Star in mind. He planned the whole trip just to show her something amazing." River began to tear up a bit, as he remembered Marco's words to Star.

"I couldn't ask for a more perfect son-in-law or a more perfect King to rule with Star." River declared proudly and assuredly.

Moon cracked a gentle smile as she suddenly held her king in her arms.

"I knew you'd come to love him." She whispered into his ears.

"Like I had a choice, true love and all." He joked back, as he wrapped his arms around her as well.

For a few moments, the two monarchs shared the warmth and comfort of their intimacy. Neither wanting to let go and end the moment.

"…Starco." River mumbled quietly, making Moon turn her head slightly in confusion.

"What was that River?" She asked, not quite understanding what he just said.

"We shall call their union Starco!" River declared with too much energy as he jumped off the bed and back onto the floor, earning a disapproving look from Moon.

"Yes! Yes! It's perfect!" River paced back and forth, busy with his thoughts. "We'll summon the royal artist tomorrow and ask him to paint a portrait of them! Maybe have the songstrels write a few songs about them! A few books or stories wouldn't hurt!"

Moon watched as her husband strolled around the room, making ludicrous plans about celebrating the budding relationship between the children. It appeared she had a new problem to deal with, making sure neither of the two found out about this Starco business.

"This might prove a lot harder to deal with…" Moon thought, massaging her temples as she felt a headache coming along.

* * *

Well, that's the end of that chapter. There will be more. Hopefully. Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, haven't been happy with a lot of things I wrote so I had to take a break. Anyways, here's the next part of the Royal Plan, a look into the behind the scenes of Star and Marco's fated relationship. Fuzzah!

* * *

Star Butterfly, future Queen of the Butterfly Kingdom, the most powerful wielder of the royal wand since Eclipsa and wife to the Great Warrior Marco Diaz (currently Marco Diaz-Butterfly) was facing a threat so great, it was driving her up the wall in ways no other evil had ever done. She had faced hordes of monsters, threats from countless worlds, taken down a few dark lords and successfully gotten through the hell that was the Diaz family hot sauce contest, but this… this was something she had no idea how to handle.

Her perfect pearly white teeth began to grind against each other in frustration as she let her head drop face first onto the table. She needed help, but her most trusted ally, her hero, her best friend and future king was similarly incapacitated as he just sat there beside her, eyes glazed over and wearing a polite, but perturbing smile on his severely reddened face.

She could only groan and bemoan her fate that was the Butterfly Diaz Family Reunion. Don't get her wrong, she loved both sides of her family, from the Johansens and Butterflies to the Ublado's and the Diaz's. But things changed when you were newly married. Things changed a lot.

No matter how she covered her ears, she could not drown out the voices of both her mothers chatting quite tactlessly for everyone to hear.

"Yes… and yet here we are Angie, still grandchildren-less after all that effort to bring them together." Moon commented, cleaning her mouth with her napkin. "Honestly, I had my hopes up ever since they started dating. I thought they'd save some of that excess energy and recklessness for the bedroom instead of hopping around dimensions all the time." Moon voiced out, complaining quite a bit as she began to dig into her gelato, exacting some of her frustration on the frozen desert.

Angie sighed in agreement. "I thought so too. I mean who would've thought they'd be so responsible about sex when they get into so much riskier situations all the time? I mean, I understand Marco, but Star?" Angie exclaimed, raising her spoon in the air to exaggerate her point. "I was honestly expecting a child from these two before they even got married."

"Yes… that would've saved us all that trouble regarding their marriage." Moon commented, referring to the whole fiasco surrounding the legitimacy of their marriage and rule.

Star could only drop her head on the dining room table repeatedly and groan. Being a grown woman and future Queen did not help in any way when both of your mothers were talking about your sex life. This was the worst. Even after all the effort she put into preparing a nice formal dinner to avoid this kind of discussion.

"Star are you listening?" Moon called, very much aware and enjoying her daughter's utter embarrassment. It wasn't every day you could see Star acting so meek.

"Ugh… please kill me now…" Star grumbled in reply.

Moon, Angie and every other relative in the reach of the conversation couldn't help but laugh at the young couple. Marco had long shut his brain off after being teased about the nightly sounds of their passion ringing through the castle walls and his supposedly impressive manhood. Star on the other hand did not have the luxury of zoning out like her husband. She had to suffer through the talk of not using protection and it feeling much better without such from her mothers, which wasn't exactly a very comfortable topic or image to see in her mind. The thought of her parents doing the nasty brought shivers down her spine.

"No need to be so embarrassed Star, you're a grown woman. Sex isn't really something you should be ashamed of. It's the ultimate expression of love between soulmates" Moon quipped, teasing her daughter, who raised her head and glared daggers at her.

"Well it is when your birth mother and mother-in-law are telling everyone about it! Can't we just go back to playing flags or something less harmful like paintball?!" She exclaimed, her cheeks red with warmth and her eyes wide in panic like a cornered animal.

Moon couldn't help but laugh at her daughter's behaviour. In Mewni they were Queen and Future Queen, but here on earth, they were just mother and daughter. And her mother couldn't help but recall the first family reunion the two love birds had attended. Although, at the time, they weren't lovebirds, but Moon was no fool, she knew something other than a fated bond was between them even back then.

* * *

It was a cool day in Mewni. A light mist had built upon the fields and the forests, leaving droplets upon the leaves and blades of grass. Moon's eyes gently fluttered open to the morning light filtered through their tinted windows. She had a rather restful sleep, despite all the preparations and trouble of preparing for today. Of course, it would've been a lot less stressful if a certain husband wasn't over excited for the celebration and began making plans that would no doubt make things awkward for their two very special guests.

A sudden clatter from the corner of their room, disrupted the Queen's peaceful waking. She could only sigh and get up, careful to not let her nightgown touch the floor.

She was not at all surprised by the sight in front of her. There was her husband, River, rummaging through his closet and throwing out every object he deemed useless.

"Aha!" He exclaimed, pulling out two outfits from the depths of his wardrobe, one red and another white.

"River, what is that?" Moon asked, her voice very much controlled.

"Oh Moon darling! Good morning!" He greeted cheerily. "Which do you think will fit Marco better, the red uniform or the white one?" He asked, presenting each princely attire to his wife for choosing.

Moon could only sigh and place her hands on River's, earning a rather confused look from the king.

"River, I know you're excited to have Marco join us today, but you cannot give him any special treatment." Moon explained for the hundredth time since yesterday.

"But Moon, I had these specially made for him, can't I at least give them to him as a gift afterwards?" River pleaded, his eyes brimming with emotion.

"For the last time River no. Bringing him to family events is one thing, but making him stand out is another. Star would be suspicious." Moon stated with finality as she began going through her wardrobe as well.

River began to walk away, body hunched and expression dejected. He took out a small heart shaped locket from his shirt pocket and opened it, letting a small smile tease his face. He looked at the picture the Diaz's had managed to take of Star and Marco laughing as they embraced each other and the word Starco, elegantly scribbled in red at the corner.

"Someday soon my dears. Someday soon…" He whispered with utmost care as he waited for his wife to get dressed.

After a quick breakfast and a couple of last minute checks, the royal couple waited at the castle gardens, taking seats on the old stone benches in front of the garden square. River began to tap his fingers on his knees impatiently, as if they would make time go faster. Apparently, Star's predisposition to burst from boredom was inherited from her father, who was likewise ready to explode into irrational actions.

Suddenly, the sound of tearing fabric broke the serenity of the place as a pair of scissors appeared in midair and cut their way down to the ground, revealing a large portal. River and Moon watched in anticipation as their manticore drawn carriage rolled its way into Mewni.

River immediately got off his seat and ran towards the royal vehicle while Moon walked ever so calmly. It wasn't like she wasn't just as excited, she just hid it better.

As the doors slowly opened, Moon watched River crush the two in an enthusiastic embrace, depriving them of the ability to breathe.

"Star! Marco my boy! It's so good to see you!" He greeted, shaking them around like ragdolls.

"Dad! It's so good to see you too! Right Marco?" Star exclaimed, hugging her father back while Marco gasped for air.

"Can't… breathe..." Marco gasped out, feeling his lungs collapsing.

"River, put them down. They're turning blue." Moon commented calmly, noting the lack of color in her daughter and future son-in-law. River hurriedly released them from his grip, apologizing and giving Marco a playful slap on the arm. Moon smiled inwardly as she saw them conversing together, this was her future family.

"Good morning you two." Moon greeted as she approached them, stepping every so gracefully. "Marco, it's nice of you to finally join us. Star's been telling us all about you and how you've been taking care of her. We do hope she hasn't been that much trouble." Moon mentioned with a slightly troubled expression on her face. She had known from Angie and Rafael that Star had a tendency to turn the house upside down, once even literally when she had misunderstood something on the internet.

Marco seemed surprised to by the Queen's undivided attention and looked quite nervous about what to do next. He ended up bowing to Moon, before answering back.

"Well, Queen Butterfly, it hasn't been that bad. I mean, we get little surprises here and there, but everything's fine." Marco replied, his tone very polite and rather shy. Moon knew they had never really talked before and that she came across as rather firm, so it was understandable he was acting the way he did. Still, she couldn't help but wish Marco would relax around her like he did with River.

Luckily, Star came to his rescue and pulled him aside.

"See mom, everything's fine. No explosions or magic glitter sprinkling everywhere!" Star exclaimed, waving her arms around to prove her point.

"I never said there were dear…" Moon replied with a knowing look, causing Star's eyes to jitter back and forth in nervousness.

"Uhhhh…" Star stammered, not knowing what to say as her nails began to dig into her wand.

Moon decided to let it go. She had known more about Star's activities than she let on and she allowed it. After all, how was she to learn the consequences of her actions if she wasn't free to own them? So instead, she decided to direct her attention to getting to know the young man in red, who was now busy chatting with River about monster hunting.

"Come on everyone, we'll walk to the picnic site." Moon called, beginning to walk through the gardens. They began with a little tour along the path to their destination, side by side. River beside Moon and Marco beside Star. They passed through the main hall and walked their way upon a rainbow bridge that Moon had conjured up, leading straight to the picnic site.

As they paced, Moon couldn't help but take a few glances towards the pair behind them. They were chatting and joking around without a care in the world. Even nudging and horseplaying to the point that Star jumped on Marco's back and forced him to carry her the rest of the way. It was quite comical actually, save for the part they almost fell to their deaths. Normally, Moon would've scolded Star for her behaviour, but right now, Moon couldn't be happier that the two trusted each other so and had built such a unique friendship despite their differences.

Moon slowed her pace to walk beside her daughter's best friend.

"So Marco, what has Star told you about today?" Moon asked the boy who was carrying his daughter.

Marco's posture tensed again, surprised to have the ruler talking to him."Well Queen Butterfly, she told me it was a family reunion and that there would be Mewnian corn… That's basically it." Marco replied, adjusting his grip on Star's legs so that she wouldn't fall over.

Moon smiled back, hoping to make Marco ease up.

"Well then, allow me to explain further… You'll be meeting both sides of our family today. Our relatives from the Johansen kingdom next door and those from here, the Butterfly Kingdom." Moon explained, watching how the young man carried her daughter without much effort. "I understand Earth has reunions too. How do those go?" Moon asked.

"Well, in my family there's eating, some ballroom dancing and then sometimes we have games too. Like in our last reunion, we played paintball as an entire family." Marco explained, his voice becoming more relaxed, much to Moon's delight.

"Paintball?" Moon asked, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"Paintball!" Star screamed, battle lust growing in her eyes.

Marco grinned painfully as he worried about the princess on his shoulders. "How to explain this… Well on earth we have these weapons called guns, that are sort of like bows and they fire these very small arrows so fast it could go straight through armor." Marco tried his best to explain.

Moon's eyes widened. It appeared her knowledge on earth needed updating.

"So on your reunions, you play a game where you try and maim each other?" Moon asked, feeling aghast and horrified. Mewni had barbaric practices, but violence was never the goal, just the by-product.

"No, no Queen Moon." Marco immediately corrected, shaking his hands to prevent any misunderstanding. "You have to have a permit to carry those things, we don't just let anyone handle them because they're so dangerous. What we use in reunions are toys, replicas of the real thing that just fire off little balls of paint." Marco explained, wishing he had a wand to at least help him depict what he was saying. Instead he had a princess on his shoulders re-enacting a paintball fight animatedly.

Moon's expression returned to normal upon hearing those words. Apparently earth wasn't as harmless as she thought.

"So these paintballs don't hurt?" Moon asked, becoming quite intrigued by the concept because they had similar practices here on Mewni.

"Well, they do… it feels kind of like being hit by Star's Narwhal blast, only smaller and faster than the eye can see." Marco replied, trying his best to smile at the monarch.

"Oh it can definitely hurt more if you aim it right..." Star added, her voice deepening menacingly.

"That sounds very painful Marco." Moon concluded, feeling very sorry that the young man had been put through such a thing against her daughter.

"It's okay Queen Moon. The pain makes it real and worthwhile." Marco explained with an odd smile.

"You make believe you're actually shooting someone and trying your best to do so, but without the consequences of an actual war on a person's being. So all you're left with is thrill and battle madness." Marco finished, leaving Queen Moon quite concerned with his statement and the way he said it.

She wanted to inquire a bit more; especially with how a mature and slightly disturbing statement could roll of the young man's tongue so easily, but they were nearing the end of the magic bridge.

Moon gazed straight ahead where she could already see the Butterflies and Johansens gathered around the long dining table. They were already bickering about as usual and soon trouble would begin, but this would be educational, if not enjoyable for Marco. After all, if his family had some sort of war games, then he could probably handle this as well… probably… hopefully…

He kind of had no choice in the matter.

As they reached the end of the rainbow bridge, Moon watched as her relatives bickered and argued about until they noticed her arrival. Upon spying the royal couple, both sides of the family stood up in acknowledgment. On one side of the table were the Butterflies, all dressed formally and accompanied by their own manservants and on the other stood the Johansens, proud warriors dressed in their latest kill and battle vestments.

Manfred then marched in front of the family and blew on his trumpet.

"Presenting the monarchs of the Butterfly Kingdom, Queen Moon and King River Butterfly as well as their daughter Princess Star Butterfly!" Manfred shouted aloud as everyone bowed to show respect.

Moon curtsied in reply and was about to direct Star and Marco to their seats when voices from the table interrupted her.

"Who's the dashing young man in red?" Asked one of Star's cousins, her eyes growing wide in wonder and her mouth spreading into a grin.

"Must be Star's manservant, seems rather well-built though." Concluded one of Star's uncles from the Johansens, who was scanning Marco from head to toe.

"Well, can I trade you for him Star?" Shouted another female voice, making Star and Marco share a worried look.

The family began to chatter once again, this time about what should be done with Marco and it seemed it would end up as another feud or with Marco in the hands of another royal for whatever reason. So Moon decided to put a stop to it.

"Everyone stop!" She shouted, with much authority, causing everyone to quiet down again as she grabbed Marco by the shoulder. "This young man is Marco Diaz. He's Star's best friend, protector and guide on earth. And no Lucretia, he is not a manservant nor is he for sale. He is important to your cousin so you cannot take him." Moon finished, making the girl known as Lucretia drop back in her seat pouting.

Moon sighed to relieve her worries, but not so deeply that she would miss the princess attempting to sneak past her. She grabbed Star by her shoulder before she got out of arm's length.

"Star…" Moon said, her voice sounding like she was about to scold her.

"What? I'm just taking Marco to our seats." Star explained innocently, trying to escape Moon's iron grip.

"You and Marco are sitting at the children's table." Moon stated.

"What?! But I'm fourteen! I have the wand! I'm too old to sit at the kid's table!" Star protested, stomping her foot. "Marco doesn't want to sit with babies too! Tell her Marco!" Star dragged the poor boy in front of the Queen, making him sweat.

"Uhhhh… I kinda just wanna stay as far away from your girl cousins as much as possible." Marco answered, avoiding the batting eyelashes of Star's cousins, especially Lucretia.

Moon smiled while Star glared daggers. "See Star, Marco just wants to have an enjoyable picnic. Now go to the kid's table and keep him away from your cousins." Moon walked away, knowing full well that Star was probably pouting and complaining behind her back. And besides, the adults table wasn't as exciting as she thought.

A few moments later, after Star's poorly attempted infiltration of the grown up's table, Moon continued to listen into the conversations at the table, politely negating aunt Etheria's comments about her husband, who was busy lollygagging with his own side of the family. Really, being on this table wasn't any fun at all, unless you counted nagging and petty arguments as fun. So when aunt Etheria finally decided to comment on someone else's life, Moon directed her attention to another Butterfly.

With a barely noticeable tilt of her head, she looked towards the children's table where Star and Marco sat along with several toddlers. She watched as Star waved her arms around, obviously still fuming about being forced to sit there and running her mouth off at Marco, who was just patiently listening and enjoying himself despite her rant. It amazed her how Marco could stay so calm with Star, given the kind of chaos and trouble she could bring to an entire kingdom.

She watched as he merely put a hand to her shoulder, calming her down in an instant. Moon's eyes opened as wide as they could go. It took someone who really appreciated Star to stick with her no matter what, but to calm her down with but a touch? Neither she nor River had ever achieved such a feat. Marco truly was Star's perfect partner in life.

Moon felt her lips curl into a smile and a strange sense of peace washing over her as she watched the two joke about and try to enjoy themselves despite the very small chairs, the baby goblets and the toddlers making a mess.

As far as she could tell, they were at the very least, good friends, the best even. Maybe they didn't feel anything for each other now, but once the day came that they did, they would come to love each other in ways they didn't even know possible. Then again, Star did drag him here to their family reunion despite him being a literal and figurative alien. As a mother, Moon hoped that meant something was finally beginning to blossom in her daughter. After all, Star could've brought any of her other friends like Ponyhead or that mischievous Ordonia girl from school.

But at the moment something else was beginning to grow right in front of her. Moon's attention was brought back to their table when Aunt Etheria slammed her fist down and began shouting at the Johansens for eating like barbarians. Not that it wasn't expected, but Moon had hoped that this picnic would be more pleasant than all the rest.

"Now, now, there's no need for any of this." Moon tried to reason, but her plea fell on deaf ears as the bickering only grew louder.

"You Johansens spoiled my appetite like you spoiled the Butterfly family tree!" Aunt Etheria accused from across the table as the Butteflies joined her, enraged.

Moon however as Queen tried diplomacy once again. "Okay now, let's put a stop to this! Tut tut!" She raised her voice, trying to get everyone to calm down again however a certain Johansen only made things worse.

"Your neck ruffles are choking off the oxygen to your brain!" Her most admirable King cried out.

"RIVER!" Moon immediately shouted, with a threatening glare. If she didn't love this man, she would have strangled him by now.

River quickly regained his senses, cringing in fear. "Yes, yes of course, of course." He muttered before clearing his throat loudly and gaining everyone's attention. As they say, all it takes to get a man to do anything, is a very mean, very angry female.

"Now now, there's no need for all this back and forth about who's better than who." He started, getting up on the table to address everyone equally. "We're all royalty. As you know, there is a way we can settle this dispute like the civilized people we are."

Moon smiled at her husband, proud of his actions, despite them being driven by fear.

"With flags!" He shouted, making everyone cheer and raise the flags that they had been hiding all this time.

Moon brought her palm to her face, mourning her moment of pride as their entire family marched away to start their yearly game. She should have known better than to hope they wouldn't play this year.

Now every year, the families played Flags. One could say it's what they looked forward to and why they would try and pick a fight with each other actively. Moon couldn't care less, she found the whole thing childish and quite stupid to put it simply. She never joined in since she became Queen. Anyway, she had another important job to do every year. That was to keep Star Butterfly from joining in.

She immediately slipped from the crowd and scanned the area for her daughter. Upon seeing Star, she already raised her own flag and was dragging Marco off to join her, but Moon was always a few steps ahead of her daughter. Once Star turned around to look ahead, Moon pulled her flag from her hands.

"No way." Moon said with a deadpan expression, as she began walking to her spectator's seat.

"Hey! That's my flag!" Star complained as she chased after her.

Moon sighed. "You can have it back after the match, but you won't be playing flags today." She replied sternly.

"Why not!? You played flags when you were my age!" Star reasoned out, agitation filling her eyes.

"I did a lot of things you won't be doing…" Moon replied, ending the argument and causing her daughter to grunt in disagreement. She knew it wasn't much fun for Star to sit with toddlers, but she had to make Star understand, some things adults did and talked about required a little more sensibility and integrity that only came with experience. And she wasn't sure Star had either.

"Now I know it's boring to be the oldest at the kid's table, but you aren't ready to be the youngest at the adult's table." Moon explained, satisfied with how Star's expression softened. "Now go and help your little cousins chew their corn." She finished, heading off again to relax from her spectator's seat where she would day dream for the rest of the game. Hopefully she had done her job right.

* * *

Upon sitting down, Moon untied her boots, letting her feet breathe since no one was in sight to judge her. This was one of the few times she could rest in public, so with the sound of gunpowder exploding, Moon let her body fall further into her seat. She could care less about the game of flags. All she hoped was that no injuries too serious would happen this year. It was another reason why she had insisted Star sit at the kids table, because only adults were supposed to play this game. After all, there was real danger. Not that she doubted Star or Marco's skill in battle or survival ability, but this game was another ugly part of Mewnian tradition that lived on. If either of them got hurt, the one left unharmed would probably blame themselves harshly for it. This was Moon's way of taking care of the future king and queen.

"Speaking of which, I should check on them, just one last time." She told herself, feeling like she was missing something. She pulled back the drapes behind her seat and saw her daughter and her future son-in-law sitting quite still at the kid's table.

"That's my girl." She smiled, letting the drapes back down and relaxing once again.

As Moon let her feet touch the bare earth, feeling its warmth tickle her toes, she could not help but think about the future. As of now, there was no real threat in the known universe, Star's training was moving along, River had grown fond of their future son-in-law and the said boy was growing stronger and more confident by the day. If things went on like this, the only things they'd have to worry about were Star and Marco's eventual wedding, educating Marco on Mewni, and maybe a few episodes of heartbreak or two in the process.

Moon let out a deep breathe to relax as her thoughts flowed freely. Though they knew that Star and Marco were destined, they did not know the events in between. For all they knew, either of them could end up in a relationship along the way. After all, they were both quite attractive on their own. In addition, they both seemed to have someone they fancied at the moment. Star had this Oskar boy, a musician, whom she hadn't mentioned at all recently. Marco on the other hand had always admired this Jackie Lynn Thomas from afar, making very little progress and prompting Star to push him onwards. On the surface, it would seem things were platonic between the future monarchs, but Moon had other thoughts on the matter.

She did not know Marco, but she did know Star and Star had a tendency to hide or run away from things that made her uncomfortable. And Moon had noticed she had been doing so for the past few months. From the short looks she gave Marco to the tiny moments her mind would wander off when thinking about him, only to excitedly change the topic. Something had changed within her.

Moon had known for some time that Star held Marco in very high regard. It didn't take a genius to figure that out. After all, much of her stories were about him and even if she tried her best to hide it, as a mother, Moon knew the way she looked at the young man was changing. Star may not have accepted it yet, but it showed in how she acted. She tailed him all the time and popping up out of nowhere to be with him. She was satisfied doing normal boring everyday things as long as it was by his side. She brought him around everywhere and when she couldn't such as with some royal responsibilities, she grumbled, wishing he was there with her. She listened to him well most of the time and respected his opinion on matters, which was rare for the rebel princess. She did her utmost to help him reach his goals and was happy to see his successes, no matter how little. She had a tendency to get very upset over problems that involved him because she had already let him so far into her heart. And finally, she was ready to sacrifice everything, even the fate of the entire universe, just to see him safe.

Now, maybe she hadn't accepted it yet or even considered the form of that new stirring deep inside her, but Star loved Marco, much more than she had originally planned and to the wise Queen, this was plain to see. Though it pained her to admit it, Moon also knew that Star wouldn't dare face this new fondness with open arms. Instead she would run from it or hide it, forever if she had to.

"Come to think of it…" Moon muttered to herself as her memories rushed back to a certain moment a few weeks ago. Star hadn't mentioned Oskar, the musician recently. Instead, she had been regaling her parents with stories about Marco. Just like when she dipped down for the first time. She excitedly retold how Marco was looking through her closet because Glossaryk had instructed him to and that drove her to finally dip down, mustering her entire being into getting Marco out of a simple closet.

But really? Was the thought of freeing Marco from a mere closet enough for Star to dip down? Or for anyone for that matter? To put her entire self into achieving one thing? Given that she could hardly focus on one thing at a time? It was doubtful. Highly doubtful.

After all, if Glossaryk was involved, there was more to this story than it seemed; much, much more.

That was when it clicked. Glossaryk was cryptic, but he was no liar. If Glossaryk had instructed Marco to search Star's closet, saying it would get him free, then it was the truth. And in a way, that was exactly what happened. SOMETHING in that closet had driven Star to the edge, until she had no more choice but to give her all, lest Marco come across it.

It was pure conjecture at this point, but Moon knew her daughter well. Star was no simple girl. She had thoughts and feelings that she tried to hide from the world and would do so with such conviction. What if Star had already articulated these thoughts and feelings about Marco, her best friend, who she told almost everything to? What if Glossaryk had intentionally led Marco to this secret, forcing Star to dip down lest her secret be revealed? What if Star had given her everything, in order to hide this one secret from this one person who shouldn't know about it?

What if… Star had begun to fall in love with Marco?

Moon shifted in her seat. She wanted to turn around and watch the two teens again; to see the little glimmer in her daughter's eyes when she talked to him or the slight raising of her pitch that showed her excitement to be with him. She wanted to see if anything in the way they acted or talked would support her theory, but as she began to do so, her attention was called elsewhere.

"Lord Etheria and Lord Grunt lead the pack… with a late appearance from… Oh my, the Princess Star Butterfly?" Manfred announced in surprise from his announcer's seat.

"What?" Moon exclaimed, very confused.

Without a second to lose, the Queen got off her seat and began to approach her daughter, who was still seated at the kid's table.

"Star?" She called out, suspiciously, placing a hand on her shoulder, only to have her crumble into corn kernels.

Moon stared in shock. If Star wasn't here, then that could only mean one thing. Manfred was right. Star and probably Marco were up on that dangerous hill, facing the unforgiving tradition of flags.

"Oh no…" Moon muttered as she stared up the mountain. She had to get up there now and there was only one way. She unfurled her wings from her back, gracefully taking to the air and flying towards the peak, where she hoped to spy the two teens before it was too late.

* * *

It took Moon only minutes to fly from the picnic area to the hill of flags. After all, she did have magical wings. High above anyone's vision, she scanned the battlefield below her for her daughter and her future son-in-law. Following the trail of commotion and destruction, she finally caught a glimpse of them because of Marco's particular choice of clothing, which stood out brightly against the ground.

Amazingly, the pair had made it this far without being hurt, but they were approaching the volcano portion of the hill and that's where things got even more competitive. It worried Moon, but instead of diving down to put an end to Star's recklessness, she remained where she was, watching the two conversing atop the small isles floating in lava.

Being too high in the air, she couldn't make out what they were talking about, but seeing as Marco had just saved someone from a gruesome death in molten rock, she more or less understood what was going on. Marco was voicing his concerns about the ruthlessness of the game and how pointless it all was. And Star, her beloved daughter was stuck in place, listening to his words despite knowing everyone was probably rushing for the top as she did so.

Rule number one of flags was… you don't waste your time on anybody. And yet, here was Star, waiting for Marco who had probably been holding her back due to his reluctance to be as ruthless. Moon continued to flap her giant wings, watching as Star heeded the words of this young man she cared for so much.

For a moment, Moon thought she would listen to his wisdom.

But instead of coming back down the hill with him, the princess continued to run. She ran, faster than her legs could take her, using the element of surprise to pull every flag free from her family's hands. In an instant, every competitor stopped their brawling and chased after Star like a pack of hungry wolves.

Moon folded her wings, going into a nose dive and preparing her magic. She had to if she was going to save Star in time. Her mind raced, going through all the spells she knew, analysing which would be the most effective. But she did not have time to think. Etheria had grabbed Star's leg, causing her to fall over as the rest of their family approached her as well. Jumping in to wrest their flags free from the princess who could only shield herself with her hands.

Moon concentrated and used one of the first spells she was ever taught. "Levitato!" She cried out in her mind. In an instant, a blinding pillar of light surrounded Star, lifting every person around her into the air, unable to harm anyone else. It was then that Moon, allowed herself to be seen, floating down gently in front of her daughter.

"Mom?" Star muttered, half questioningly as Moon released her magic, dropping everyone to the ground painfully.

"Are you alright?" The Queen asked worriedly, looking Star over for any injuries, but she seemed fine.

"Oh man, mom those are some sweet magic moves with your big ol' wings and stuff!" Star replied with a huff as she lifted the flags laying on the ground, seemingly still attempting to win and not even slightly fazed by her Moon's presence.

Moon wasn't amused. She wasn't amused at all.

"Star, you're never going to believe this, but I just met your twin sister…" She exclaimed quite stoically. "She was made out of corn." Moon finished, staring her daughter down intensely, making her swallow the lump in her throat.

"I don't even remember giving birth to her…" Moon commented sarcastically as Star's expression turned nervous. "River, did I ever give birth to a corn baby?" She asked her husband, who had finally made it to the top at the cost of several injuries.

The king tried his best to stand upright, despite his black eye and obviously severe concussion. "No, I'm afraid we have just the one child my dear." River answered, obviously in quite a stupor until recently.

"Thank you River." Moon replied to her currently mentally incapacitated husband.

"Her name is Star." He added, eyes still looking far off into the distance and holding no focus.

Moon put her arms around her injured spouse and lay him down on the ground gently, hoping he would remain there and recover. "Okay, why don't you just lay back down. Thank you" She told him, face still holding the same stoic expression she always had.

Moon turned back to her daughter, hoping to make a point she would remember. "You see what flags does to your brain?" Moon asked rhetorically, gesturing to her husband.

Star's face turn apologetic as her eyes turned down to the ground. "I'm sorry I tried to trick you with my corn twin…" Star replied, sounding very sincere. "Maybe you're right… maybe I'm not ready for flags." Star added, making Moon nod a bit in agreement.

But it seemed Star wasn't finished as her mouth turned upward into a smile. "But maybe the real problem is that flags is dumb!" Star exclaimed, making Moon wonder for a moment, but River had crawled his way up to Star exclaiming, "There she is! I found her! Star Butterfly, our only child… my dear!"

Moon's expression turned back to being unamused as she narrowed her eyes at her daughter and husband. "…Okay…" She replied, allowing Star to explain herself further as her father ran off wherever his damaged mind took him.

"I was trying to bring all of these flags to the top of the hill." Star explained, looking her mother in the eye. "Not so that I could win the hill for myself, but to claim the hill for all of us!" Star shouted proudly as she raised her fist in the air, making everyone cheer loudly for her.

Moon's stoic expression turned into a smile. Maybe Marco had indeed given her a bit of a nudge in the right direction, but still, it was her decision to make and Moon couldn't be more proud of her. She had chosen to show everyone what really mattered through action. She was growing up to be a wonderful young woman and an amazing Queen.

Moon bent down so that she could face Star at eye level. "That's the most adult thing I've heard all day. I've misjudged you Star." Moon said to her daughter. "You've earned a rightful seat at the grownup table." The Queen proclaimed proudly, knowing that her daughter had the strength and resolve to stand up for what was right. Maybe it was a bit premature, but she was sure Star could handle herself.

"Hugssss!" Star exclaimed and she wrapped her arms around her uncomfortable mother.

"Star… public displays of affections aren't a Butterfly value." Moon commented, her tone deceivingly warning. "…The Johansens on the other hand are amazing at it." The Queen added appreciatively.

"You are the perfect blend of both sides of the family. I'm proud of you." Moon told her daughter, feeling some tears teasing her eyes. Star was growing into her own and doing so magnificently. She couldn't ask for anything more from her.

"Thanks mom." Star replied. "Only an idiot would want to win this game." She commented, feeling quite proud of herself at the moment. But her moment would not last as a certain earth teen began running up the hill with his hoody attached to a pole.

"Woohoohoohoo!" Marco shouted wildly, making Moon's expression sour and Star's slightly embarrassed as her own idiot claimed the hill for himself.

"I'm the winner! King of the Hill! Marco shouted to the sky, unashamed. "In your face!" He exclaimed addressing everyone as him pumped his arms in victory.

"That's my boy! Marco Diaz! King of the Hill!" River shouted out with all the brain he could muster, running towards Marco to strangle him in a fatherly hug.

At this point, Moon didn't know what to think anymore, but she supposed every woman had their own idiot. She had River to deal with and Star had Marco, who was busy cheering with his future father-in-law.

"Uhhhh… I didn't tell him to do that." Star explained, finally looking towards her friend who had told her this game was ridiculous just minutes ago.

"I know Star…" Moon replied as she watched the two idiots having a victory dance. "I suppose loving idiots comes from my part of the family." Moon added without thinking.

"M-Mom!" Star screamed, her cheeks glowing bright red. "Marco and I aren't like that!" She exclaimed in a hurry, hoping that Marco was still too busy with her father to hear.

"I-I meant as a friend!" Moon correctly hastily, forcing herself to keep her Queenly composure as she too stared at the two men dancing at the top of the hill. She wanted to slap herself. After all the talk she gave River about not exposing anything, who knew that the one to slip up would actually be her.

"Yeah, yeah… just friends." Star muttered with her hearts still bright red. "As long as that's clear." Star nervously dug her heel into the ground, focusing on her feet. She didn't say another word until her family lifted her and Marco up, carrying them down the hill, proud of the two young ones.

* * *

At the end of the day, as the sun began to set over Mewni, Moon and River once again sat in the castle gardens, letting the events of the day sink in. All their guests had left with full stomachs and happy hearts. All were proud of their future Queen, for her brash but well-intentioned actions during the game. Just as all were equally envious of Marco, who had won the game, by putting on the most convincing poker face and taking advantage of them all. They swore they would beat the young man next year as they left. Meaning, he was invited to next year's family reunion as well.

Finally, it was time to send the last two guests home. Star and Marco walked into the garden, all cleaned up and ready to leave. Moon got up to meet them, leaving her husband who was now wearing several casts around his body and unable to walk properly.

"Did you two enjoy yourselves today?" Moon asked, wearing a pleasant smile on her face.

"Yeah mom." Star replied.

"We did." Marco answered as well.

"That's wonderful. I hope today wasn't too much of a culture shock to you Marco. Then again, you did win the game, so I'm sure you fit in just fine." Moon joked, feeling very glad that Marco was able to interact with their family without any troubles.

"Yeah… I'm still not over that Diaz…" Star muttered, annoyed that Marco had won the game behind her back, by manipulating everyone including her.

"Look Star, I already said I'm sorry, but I thought flags was about winning no matter what?" Marco exclaimed.

"Yeah… but you tricked me! ME!" Star retorted back, as if it was a good argument. "After I waited for you and helped you all the way up!"

"But I thought that was the point?" Marco asked rhetorically, making Star's mood worse.

"The point is, we're mess up twins! Partners in crime!" Star shouted in his face. "How could you use me so you could win?!" Star demanded to know, grabbing Marco by his hood and bringing his face close.

"W-well… the things is…" Marco stuttered, not knowing what to say.

"It's going to take a lot of your nachos to make me feel better! So spit it out Diaz!" Star screamed, tightening her grip on his clothes.

Marco swallowed the lump in his throat and decided he had nothing more to lose by saying the truth. "It's just that, I knew you had the best chance of winning among your entire family. So I thought if I just overtook you at the last moment, I could take the hill…" Marco explained, feeling Star's grip loosen.

"…you thought… I'd win from the start?" Star muttered as she nervously tucked her blonde hair behind ear.

Moon watched as Star turned around marching away from Marco to hide her blushing face from the one person she didn't want to see right now. Moon smiled at the sight of her daughter embarrassedly trying to cool her head from Marco's unexpected compliment.

"Well, I suppose you two better head back to earth now." Moon commented, saving her daughter from further embarrassment as she opened the portal with her own scissors. Moon was quite satisfied with what she had just witnessed.

Star went first, marching through the portal till on her head was left floating in the air. "Bye mom! Bye dad!" She shouted before turning to her best friend and narrowing her eyes. "I still want those nachos Diaz!" She exclaimed before disappearing through the portal.

Next, was Marco. He walked up to the portal, turning to Moon and River before stepping through.

"Thank you both for today Queen Moon and King River." Marco said with a respectful bow.

"No, thank **you** Marco..." Moon replied, giving Marco a very sincere smile. "Thank you for always taking care of our daughter and being someone she can always count on."

"Well, she does the same for me." Marco replied with a grin. "I can't ever thank her enough."

"Well, we just hope you'll always be there for her, now and forever. She looks up to you, you know?" Moon asked of the young man, curtsying to him and making him scratch his head in nervousness.

"Well, I don't know about that… but I'll do my best." He replied before waving goodbye.

"Marco what's taking so long?!" Star's voice rang through the portal, making Moon chuckle.

"Well, it's not polite to keep a young woman waiting Marco. We hope to see more of you soon." Moon said as she waved goodbye as well, watching as the young man finally stepped through the portal.

Moon sighed in satisfaction as she closed the portal and sat back down beside her king.

"They're positively adorable together aren't they?" River commented through his neck brace.

"Yes, yes they are." Moon replied, still looking at the space where the two had left from.

"And our Star will make a great Queen, no doubt about it!" River attempted to shout, only to feel pain rush down his back, making Moon caress him gently until it abated.

Moon looked at her king for a moment, wondering if she should tell him what she had noticed today, but married people had a way of reading each other.

"Moon darling, you look like you have something to say?" River asked, turning his entire body towards his wife to avoid pain.

Moon supposed it wouldn't hurt too much to tell him.

"River… I think… Star's beginning to truly fall for Marco." Moon said rather quietly, waiting for the words to sink into her husband's mind.

River didn't need to question it. If Moon thought so, then it must be true. The King tried his best to jump up onto the stone seats and cheered as loudly as he could.

"STAAAAARCOOOO LIIIIIIIIIIVVVEEESSSSS!" The great warrior king bellowed out, before falling over in intense pain.

"I'm okay!" He cried out, obviously lying.

Moon pulled her hand down her face again. Maybe explaining her thoughts on today to her husband could wait.

* * *

"And that is how the future King and Queen had their first family reunion." Moon finished with a happy note, as the little children seated in front of her listened with their full attention as they munched on their corn and nachos.

One of the Diaz children raised her hand to ask a question.

"Yes Maria, what is it?" Moon called, happy to entertain the child.

"If Princess Star liked cousin Marco so much, why didn't she just say anything?" The little girl named Maria asked as she held her princess Marco doll.

"Well, that's a very complicated question…" Moon replied. "But to put it simply, it would be a combination of a fear of making things awkward if she did admit it, thus possibly ruining their wonderful friendship and that she thought Marco would never like her that way." Moon finished, waiting to see if there were any other questions.

Another little hand shot up as soon right away, calling Moon's attention.

"Yes Cornelia?" Moon asked the little Butterfly, who was also holding her Princess Marco doll close to her.

"Why didn't Prince Marco like Princess Star back then?" Cornelia asked in a sweet voice.

Moon smiled as she replied. "Well there are many answers to that as well… mainly it would be because he had his eyes on the earthly maiden Jackie Lynn Thomas. But others would argue it was because Marco never thought that he was worthy of Princess Star or that it was because Star had told him she needed him to be just his friend, not her hero early in their friendship.

"Doesn't that mean she dug her own grave because she put him in the friendzone?" Maria asked with eyes full of wonder.

"Very good Maria! That is exactly what it means!" Moon congratulated the child, clapping her hands gently for the child's astute observation.

"Now who wants to hear the story of when Prince Marco crushed his fated one's heart into a million tiny pieces, leading into a cascade of devastating events?" Moon asked the children gathered around her. She had taken a liking to storytelling since Star and Marco's current lack of children robbed her of the joy of being a grandparent.

The children's cheers were interrupted by the heavy stomping of boots that entered the living room.

"Mom!" Star shouted as she made her way across the room, her eyes filled with angst. "Don't brainwash the children with your one sided analysis of our love life!" Star exclaimed. "And just to be fair, NO, I did not put Marco into the friendzone. I just didn't like the idea of him playing hero and getting hurt for my sake!" Star harrumphed as she folded her arms in annoyance, eyeing all the children carefully.

"Also, I'd just like to point out that in the next story, Prince Marco was a royal jerk for not noticing that I had feelings for him!" Star announced to the children listening intently to her. "I mean, when you get older, girls will usually hang out with girls and guys will hang out with guys! If a girl hangs out with a guy more than she hangs out with her girl friends, that usually means she likes him!" Star shouted aloud to the children who were munching their corn as they sat.

"Now what do you call someone who doesn't notice that?" Star asked the kids, in the same manner a teacher would ask a class.

A young latino child raised his hand to answer.

"Yes Manny?" Star called as she pointed to him.

"Dense?" Manny answered.

"Good, but I'm looking for something more intense!" Star replied as she entertained another child.

"How abouuuut… Natalie!" Star pointed, to the little red haired Mewnian girl.

"An idiot?" She suggested.

"Yes! He was a cute, but dense idiot!" Star affirmed with a smile.

"An imbecile!" Yelled another child.

"Great!" Star cheered, encouraging them further.

"An asshole who leads girls on!" Shouted another.

"Uhhhh… not necessarily wrong, but where did you learn that?" Star raised an eyebrow, worried for the child.

"A playboy!" answered another a girl from the middle.

"Okay, I think we're getting a little too excited here…" Star commented nervously as she looked to her mother for help.

"A cheater and a douchebag!" Yelled a child from the back.

"Okaaaay! What kind of God forsaken shows do they let you kids watch these days?!" Star exclaimed, feeling rather shocked with their answers and at a loss with what to do to settle the kids down.

"AN UNGRATEFUL BASTARD!" Shouted a deep and familiar voice with a heavy Mewnian accent.

"Dad! You're not helping here!" Star shouted in panic, as the situation escalated beyond her control.

"A pendejo!" Mr and Mrs Diaz happily chimed in together as they entered the living room.

Star gasped, utterly shocked. "Mr and Mrs Diaz! Language! We're talking about Marco here!"

Suddenly, a tall well-muscled figure made its way into the living room, making Star shrink just a bit from seeing him and his somewhat annoyed expression.

"STAAAAAAAAR…" The man in the red hoodie called out as if warning her.

Star stood up, opening her arms wide for a hug.

"Well if it isn't my husband, the man I absolutely love most in the whole multiverse since he's so handsome, well-muscled, brave, caring, compassionate, smart, a neat freak, adventurous, a great cook, a mind blowing lover, a total sweetheart and someone who totally wouldn't get mad at me for making little kids call him mean names!" Star greeted in one single breath as she waited for her husband to react to her affection.

"Did I mention your deep chocolate eyes and candy lips?" Star added with a chuckle, making Marco sigh deeply as the noises and chatter of their entire extended family continued around them.

Well at least, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. Almost everyone…

* * *

And that is that... next chapter will probably be post bonbon the birthday clown. Leading into the downward spiral of despair that Star, as too nice for her own good, throws herself into. Seriously, hanging out with the person you like and their significant other? How would that not hurt? She cares far too much about Marco over herself. Fools like that, who are willing to not just sacrifice, but subject themselves to pain for their loved ones aren't born everyday, and that is a compliment. I hope things get better for her in season 3. I really truly do.


End file.
